Happiness Is Just A Figment Of The Imagination
by SophieWofy
Summary: My entry for Lisa95's Lenny story competition. A certain Dr Lyons finds his life turned upside down after an unexpected visitor. Contains swearing, because our Lenny's not the politest of guys.
1. Chapter 1

_Hi guys. This is the first time I've written Lenny. I have to admit, he's not the easiest character to write, but I hope I've managed to be as in character as possible. _

_In case you haven't seen it yet, Lisa95 is running a competition to write a Lenny story. Until I saw the post, I wasn't aware of how few stories there are about him on here. Anyway, this is my entry, or at least the first part of it. I hope you enjoy it. Oh, and if you want to enter the competition, do! I love competitions, me.  
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* * *

__I've been through the pain and been dragged through the dirt _

_Whatever they tell you, we're bigger than words _

_I've been where you're standing, I know how it hurts_

Lenny Lyons had never been one for singing in the shower; singing at any other time, sure, but not in the shower. It was only since Helen had come back into his life and Yuki had left for Birmingham he had taken to singing in the shower. There was something strangely exhilarating about singing your stresses out while hot water pelted against your back.

Clean and calm, he stepped out of the shower and wrapped himself in a towel. Back when he had lived in the house with Yuki, and before that, May and Kieron as well, he always changed in the bathroom. He'd accidentally given Yuki an eyeful when they had first moved in together, and although nothing was said between the friends, there had been a mutual agreement that everyone would at least put underwear on underneath their towel before returning to their room to change.

Now, though, he lived on his own, there was nothing to stop him wandering around with his bits hanging freely. Lenny entered his bedroom and opened his wardrobe when a ring on the doorbell distracted him. Nobody ever rang at eight in the morning. Nobody dared.

Assuming it was the postman, Lenny tightened the towel around his waist and headed downstairs. He opened the door slightly, a cool breeze rolling through and making the hairs on his arm stand rigid.

"Yeah?"

"Leonard Lyons?"

Lenny pulled a face. It had been years since anyone had used his full name. Lenny, or occasionally Len, when someone he didn't know was trying to be pally with him (he soon put them in their place, because he hated sounding like an old man) but never Leonard. Even at a job interview, he'd introduce himself as Lenny before anyone got a chance to say anything else.

"Who's asking?" Lenny pulled the door open a slight bit further, poking just his head around the door to conceal his bare torso. He was shocked to see a uniformed policeman standing on his doorstep. "Look, whatever happened, it was nothing to do with me, alright?"

"Mr Lyons?" the policeman repeated.

"Yeah, yeah, that's me." Lenny knew he was going to get no peace until the officer was satisfied, so he figured it was better to get it over and done with.

"Mr Lyons, may I come in? I'm afraid I've got some bad news."

Lenny gulped. What had Yuki gone and got himself involved in up in Birmingham? It had to be Yuki; he always came to Lenny to bail him out whenever he got himself in something he couldn't handle. Because, of course, after growing up in care, Lenny was capable of dealing with anything. Yeah, right. He wasn't Superman, but he was about as close as Yuki was ever going to get.

He let the policeman in and showed him through to the living room.

"I'm, uh, just going to put some clothes on." Lenny nodded towards his towel, just in case the officer hadn't noticed, and hurried upstairs before he could get a response. He threw on a t-shirt and a pair of jeans from the dirty pile on his floor. Anything was better than a towel he could drop at any moment. "Yuki man, what've you gone and done now?" he muttered to himself as he headed back downstairs.

"Mr Lyons, it's about your sister," the policeman told him as he sat down.

"Sister?" Lenny echoed. "You mean Yuki's not got himself into some mess up north?"

"I don't know who Yuki is, but not that I'm aware of. I'm afraid Helen was involved in an accident late last night. There was a collision involving her car and a lorry."

"Shit." Lenny looked down at his hands. He hadn't been expecting news like this.

"I'm afraid she didn't make it."

"No!" Lenny stood up and paced around the room, hands on his head. "Fuck. Fuck, fuckety fuck." He'd only just got his sister back in his life after God knows how many years. While she was ill, there was still the option of a donor to increase her life span. There was no way of increasing the lifespan of a car crash victim. He punched out at the wall, drawing blood on his knuckles but not feeling the pain. Then a thought crossed his mind. Helen had been down in Holby with her boyfriend. "What about Ian?"

"Mr Roberts died at the scene. Neither of them stood a chance."

"We- were you there?"

"Yes."

"What were her last words?"

The policeman looked uncomfortable. "She seemed to know she was dying. She asked the paramedics to make sure Lenny looked after Sam. Those were her words."

Sam. The name rang a bell, but Lenny couldn't quite pinpoint it. It was only when the policeman elaborated that Lenny realised what was meant.

"Mr Lyons, she wanted you to look after her son."

* * *

_So there's chapter one. I hope you like it; if you do, please leave a review. When I get emails telling me you guys have left lovely comments on my stories, it makes me happy. Of course, if you hated it, you can tell me as well, I don't mind. _

_The song at the start, by the way, is One Love by David Guetta, in case anyone was wondering. _


	2. Chapter 2

_Thanks for all the reviews, guys. Glad you're liking it so far. Here's chapter two, let me know what you think. :) _

* * *

Lenny ran a hand through his hair as he paced up and down his living room. Why had Helen asked him to look after Sam? He'd never even met the boy; all he knew of him was that he was six years old and lived in Scotland with Helen and Ian. He'd seen a grainy photo of a blond haired boy with a toothy grin sitting on a swing in someone's garden, but that was about as far as it got.

"I can't." Lenny kicked the leg of his coffee table, stubbing his toe in the process. "I've got a life here. I've got a job, I've got my mates, I can't up and leave to look after some kid I've never even met before. Isn't there anyone else that can look after him?"

The police officer shook his head. "Mr Roberts' mother has early onset Alzheimer's, and his father won't be able to care for his wife as well as his grandson. Miss Lyons specifically requested you look after Sam. Of course, you don't have to, but the only other option would be to place him under the care of the local authority."

A foster home. Lenny had grown up being shunted from one to another and back again. It was a childhood he wouldn't wish on anyone. Sure, there had been some good times, but he remembered that throughout it all, the one thing he had craved more than anything was a family. He couldn't let Sam suffer the same fate.

"What if he was to come down here and live with me?"

The policeman nodded. "I don't see why not. I'll put you in contact with the Social Services team in Scotland, but it's probable."

"Thanks." Lenny caught sight of the clock on the wall and swore once more. "I've got to be at work in ten minutes."

The policeman stood up, taking the comment as a sign to leave. He walked to the front door, pausing before he left. "My condolences once more, Mr Lyons."

Lenny nodded. Once the policeman left, he ran upstairs and grabbed his phone and keys before leaving the house. His work clothes were in his locker, and he jogged the whole way to the hospital, iPod on to drown out his thoughts. A car nearly hit him as he crossed the car park, but he didn't care. Nothing seemed to matter anymore.

"You're late, Dr Lyons." Nick Jordan was standing by the reception as Lenny entered.

He wiped his sweaty forehead on the sleeve of his hooded jumper and pulled out his headphones, panting. "Yeah, yeah, I'm here now."

Jordan handed him a piece of paper. "Cubicle three, George Howser."

* * *

Lenny had experienced long days, but none had dragged as long as this one. All he could think about was Helen and Sam. Why, when his life was starting to get slightly better, had it descended into something awful?

Eventually the day was over, and he could escape with a trip down to the pub with his friends and colleagues. He had never been so relieved to be sat with a pint in his hand, and pretty soon one drink doubled, then multiplied again.

"You're wasted," Zoe told him as he stood up to buy his eighth (or was it ninth?) pint.

Lenny stumbled forward and put a hand on her shoulder to steady himself. "Just one more."

Zoe rolled her eyes, unhappy but powerless to stop him. "I really don't think that's a good idea."

"I don't care what you think. I just don't want to think." He stumbled over to the bar and slouched next to a young brunette, his face almost falling into her cleavage.

"Pervert," she spat, pushing him away. Lenny fell backwards, landing on a couple of strangers before hitting the floor. He was aware of Zoe coming over and lifting him up.

"I'm taking you home whether you like it or not," Zoe instructed him, taking out her mobile and dialling a taxi.

"I don't want a taxi," Lenny slurred, putting one arm around Zoe and resting his head on her shoulders. "I want Helen."


	3. Chapter 3

_I hope you're enjoying this. I like to know what you think, so please review. Reviews are happyface :) _

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Lenny woke up the following morning with a throbbing headache and no recollection of the previous night. It was only a post-it note on his alarm clock that reminded him what had happened.

**You owe me taxi money. Zoe x **

How had he let himself get so wasted? It was obvious now that he thought about it; all the anger and frustration had bottled itself up inside him until he had no other choice than to drown his sorrows.

He headed downstairs for something to eat and noticed a piece of paper had been pushed through his letterbox. On police notepaper was a number and the words _Dungeaston Social Services_.

Lenny wandered into the kitchen and put the kettle on, pinning the number to his fridge with a magnet. He'd ring them once he'd sobered up a bit. Thankfully it was his day off work today; he didn't have to worry about facing Zoe and Jordan for another 24 hours. He downed two paracetamol with a glass of water while he made himself breakfast.

Once he was sat down on his sofa with a slice of toast in one hand and a cup of coffee in the other, Lenny turned on the television. He flicked through the channels, settling on a repeat of a comedy show he'd seen three times already. He didn't care; as long as he didn't have to concentrate on the telly, he was happy.

He stayed there once the show finished, watching the next episode and then the one after that as well. It was just putting off the inevitable, but putting it off was what he wanted to do.

Eventually, bored of television, he got up and headed into the kitchen. He took the number from the front of the fridge and picked up the phone. Dialling the numbers in one by one, his finger hovered over the call button. Could he do this? Did he really want to give the rest of his life to looking after a small boy he didn't even know?

But the only alternative for Sam was care, Lenny reminded himself. If he could save him from the childhood he'd had, he would be doing something right.

Lenny pressed call.

The phone rang barely three times before someone picked up. "Hello, Dungeaston Social Services, Mary speaking. How can I help you?"

Lenny gulped. "It's, er, Lenny Lyons. I'm Sam Roberts' uncle, and I'm supposed to be looking after him now his parents are dead."

"Ah, yes, Mr Lyons. We've been expecting a phone call from you. Samuel's staying with his grandparents at the moment but they can't look after him permanently. His mother changed her will only a few days ago naming you as Sam's legal guardian if something was to happen to her and Sam's father. I don't know if you were aware of that?"

"No, I wasn't." Lenny kicked the wall with his foot. Helen had as good as dumped Sam on him now.

"Do you have any family of your own, Mr Lyons? Partner or kids, maybe?"

"No, it's just me. I split up with my girlfriend a couple of months back," he added so that he didn't seem like a sad loner.

"I see." There was a pause before Mary continued. "Do you have a job at all?"

"Yeah, I'm a doctor at Holby City Hospital."

"Holby? Where's that?"

"Down near Bristol."

"I see. Well, Mr Lyons, we'd have to arrange for someone from Holby Social Services to check your home, but providing it's suitable, Sam can move down and live with you."

"How long will that be?"

"Well, it depends, but hopefully by the end of the month."

Lenny swallowed. There wasn't that long to get everything organised for Sam's arrival. "Alright," he agreed. "End of the month, and then I'm Sam's legal guardian?"

"Providing all goes to plan, yes."


	4. Chapter 4

_Sorry it's been ages since I've updated, I've had a very busy couple of weeks at uni. 10 hour days and all that sort of thing. But here's the next chapter, I hope you're still enjoying it and reviews are love. _

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The time between Helen's death and Sam's arrival was filled with Lenny hurriedly trying to get everything ready. He converted Kieron's room, because it was the smallest, into a storage area and made sure anything he didn't want Sam touching was locked inside it. Then he decorated May's room, as the biggest, for his nephew to live in. Not knowing much about him, he chose to paint the walls white and put up pictures or wallpaper when Sam arrived.

He woke early on the day of Sam's arrival. It was his day off work anyway, which he would usually use to catch up on sleep, but that wasn't going to happen. He tidied away his clothes from the previous night before making himself breakfast.

He was watching television when the doorbell rang. He got up and turned off the telly before answering it.

"Lenny Lyons?" A woman was standing on the doorstep, a small boy by her side.

Lenny nodded.

"I'm Mary Baker, Dungeaston Social Services. We've spoken on the phone. This is Sam."

Lenny smiled down at the boy. His nephew, he had to remind himself. "How're you doing, little man?"

"Are you my uncle?"

"Yeah, that's me. Come on in, mate."

Sam nervously followed Lenny into the living room. He looked similar to how Lenny did at his age; a mop of blond hair and big blue eyes. However, where Lenny had a cheeky grin permanently slapped across his face, Sam's was one of innocence.

"I don't know what sort of stuff you like, but when you've put all your clothes and toys in your room, we can go shopping and get a few bits. How about that?"

Sam nodded. "Thank you for letting me live with you."

Lenny smiled and patted him on the shoulder. "It's no problem, mate. It's been getting a bit lonely here on my own."

"Mr Lyons, I'll need you to sign some forms."

Lenny nodded. "Come on through, then. I've got a pen in the hallway. Sammy boy, do you want to go through and put the telly on? CBBC's channel 33."

Sam nodded and went into the living room. Lenny let Mary in then shut the front door.

"He's a sweet kid," he remarked. "What am I signing?"

"Just that you're going to be Sam's legal carer and that you agree to regular social services visits, at least for the first year, if not longer."

"What's that for?"

"Oh, just protocol. It's to make sure he's settling in properly. It's a big change, moving to a new town especially after losing both his parents."

"I grew up in care," Lenny told Mary as he scrawled his name on the bottom of a few sheets of paper. "I'm not letting the same thing happen to him."

* * *

Lenny went through to the living room when Mary had gone. "Right then, Champ, what're we going to do today?"

Sam shrugged. "I don't mind, it's your house."

"That's where you're wrong, Sammy boy." Lenny sat down on the sofa next to him. "This is our house. It's yours as much as it is mine, so you can do what you like, alright? Only rules are you're in bed by nine, you do your homework and you don't touch the cooker."

"Anything?" Sam repeated, wide-eyed.

"Well, within reason. No wild parties when I'm not here." Lenny chuckled, giving the youngster a friendly nudge to show he was joking.

"When won't you be here?" Sam asked, his face going pale.

Lenny put an arm round him. "Sammy, I'll always be here for you. When you're at school, I'm going to be at work. But in the evenings, we'll be together. I promise I won't abandon you."

Sam nodded, and cuddled up to Lenny. "What would have happened if you hadn't been here to look after me?"

"You'd have stayed with someone else." Lenny didn't want to go into details. Memories of his own childhood were already coming back, and he didn't like it. "Anyway, what do you want for lunch?"

Once Lenny had made ham sandwiches for both him and Sam, the two tucked in. Looking after the little boy wasn't all that bad; he was polite and well-behaved, something Lenny was thankful for. He had been a bratty child himself, but it seemed Helen had taught her son manners.

After Lenny loaded up the dishwasher, he found his car keys. "Come on, let's go shopping and get you a few bits."

"In the car?"

"Yeah, it'll be easier than walking."

Sam's face paled. "I don't want to."

"Sam?"

"I don't like cars."

"Alright, then we can walk. It's up to you."

A small smile crept onto the little boy's face. "Really?"

"Really," Lenny affirmed, taking him by the hand. "Come on, before the shops shut."

He had a feeling things were going to be a bit more difficult than he had realised. Sam's dislike of cars obviously came from the fact his parents were killed in one. What other issues did he have? Lenny knew it wasn't going to be an easy ride, but he was determined to make this work.


End file.
